Official: ‘We see the possibility of a meltdown’ –Radioactive cesium, radioactive iodine in the air Saturday night 13 Mar 2011 A meltdown may be under way at one of Fukushima Daiichi’s nuclear power reactors in northern Japan, an official with Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told CNN Sunday. “There is a possibility, we see the possibility of a meltdown,” said Toshihiro Bannai, director of the agency’s international affairs office, in a telephone interview from the agency’s headquarters in Tokyo. “At this point, we have still not confirmed that there is an actual meltdown, but there is a possibility.” Though Bannai said engineers have been unable to get close enough to the core to know what’s going on, he based his conclusion on the fact that they measured radioactive isotopes in the air Saturday night.

Japan’s TEPCO preparing to release radiation from second reactor 12 Mar 2011 Tokyo Electric Power Co has begun preparation to release radioactive steam from a second reactor at its quake-struck Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility, a spokesman said on Sunday. The TEPCO spokesman said preparation work for the release began at 7:30 a.m. (5:30 p.m. EST). An official from Japan’s nuclear safety watchdog said earlier on Sunday that it had received a report from Japan’s largest power producer at 5:10 a.m. that the facility’s No. 3 reactor had completely lost its emergency cooling function.

Emergency at second reactor, Japan’s nuclear agency reports 12 Mar 2011 Japan’s nuclear safety agency is reporting an emergency at a second reactor in the same complex where an explosion had occurred earlier. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said early Sunday that the cooling system malfunctioned at Unit 3 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The agency said it was informed of the emergency by Tokyo Electric, the utility which runs the plant.

Meltdown Caused Nuclear Plant Explosion: Safety Body –Cesium and iodine, by-products of nuclear fission, were detected around the plant. 13 Mar 2011 The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) said Saturday afternoon the explosion at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant could only have been caused by a meltdown of the reactor core. The same day, Tokyo Electric Power Co., which runs the plant, began to flood the damaged reactor with seawater to cool it down, resorting to measures that could rust the reactor and force the utility to scrap it. An explosion was heard near the plant’s No. 1 reactor about 3:30 p.m. and plumes of white smoke went up 10 minutes later. The ceiling of the building housing the reactor collapsed, according to information obtained by Fukushima prefectural authorities.

Meltdown May Be In Progress At Fukushima No. 1 Nuke Plant 12 Mar 2011 A meltdown of the reactor core may be in progress at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, which was hit by a devastating earthquake on Friday, the Japan’s nuclear safety agency said at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency made the announcement as cesium and iodine, two by-products of nuclear fission, were detected near the plant. If a meltdown of the reactor core is confirmed, it would be the worst-ever nuclear accident in Japan and the first time a meltdown has occurred in the country.

Up to 160 may have radiation exposure in Japan nuclear accident 12 Mar 2011 The number of individuals exposed to radiation from the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan could reach as high as 160, an official of Japan’s nuclear safety agency said on Sunday. Nine individuals had already shown possible exposure to radiation from the plant, based on information from tests by municipal authorities and other sources, and estimates from the authorities suggested the figure could rise as high as 70 to 160, the official from the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told a news conference.

Japan to distribute iodine among people 12 Mar 2011 Japan has informed the UN nuclear body that following an explosion in a nuclear power plant, it plans to distribute anti-radioactive medicine to the people in the area. Earlier on Saturday, an explosion occurred in Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, blowing the roof off one facility and destroying its walls. The explosion led to the increase of radiation leak and has caused fears of a meltdown as the radioactivity in the area is now 20 times higher than normal levels.

Japan evacuees scanned for radiation 12 Mar 2011 Evacuees are scanned to check for possible exposure to radiation resulting from an explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake shook the region. (CBS News video)

Agency forecasts 10% chance of radioactive fallout hitting Taiwan13 Mar 2011 he chances of radioactive fallout from two Japanese nuclear power plants crippled by Friday’s massive earthquake are not high, the Cabinet-level Atomic Energy Council said yesterday in a statement. If two plants in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture release large amounts of radiation, the probability of it reaching Taiwan is only 10 percent, the council predicted. The area most likely to fall victim to radiation from Japan would be Taiwan’s northeastern coast and Monday would be when it would most likely arrive, the council said.

Exodus from Japan nuclear plant 12 Mar 2011 An estimated 170,000 people have been evacuated from the area around a quake-damaged nuclear power station in north-east Japan that was hit by an explosion, the UN atomic watchdog says. A building housing a reactor was destroyed in Saturday’s blast at the Fukushima No.1 plant… On Sunday morning, concerns were raised about the safety of a second reactor at the plant after operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said the cooling system of another reactor had failed.

Japan evacuates 50,000 after nuclear power plant explosion –NHK: At least three residents among 90 tested showed excess exposure to radiation12 Mar 2011 More than 50,000 people were evacuated Saturday after an explosion at a Japanese nuclear plant hurled plumes of smoke over the Pacific Ocean… Japanese authorities hastened to assure the public there was no danger of a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant along the lines of the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine, but they were unable to explain why excess levels of radiation were detected outside the plant’s grounds. Japan’s NHK television reported that at least three residents among 90 tested at random showed excess exposure to radiation.

‘1,000 dead’ in Japan quake; nuke plants overheat 12 Mar 2011 More than 1,000 people were feared dead and authorities scrambled to prevent meltdown at two nuclear plants after a monster tsunami devastated a swathe of northeast Japan. Reactor cooling systems failed after Friday’s record 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit, unleashing a terrifying 10-metre (33-foot) high wave that tore through coastal towns and cities and destroying all in its path. Radiation 1,000 times above normal was detected in the control room of one nuclear plant, although authorities said levels outside the facility’s gates were only [!?!] eight times above normal.

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